16: Chapter 16 Shen Hongxiu, the Dragon Crossing the River

A few days after the "Pier Spectacle" incident, the Three Rivers Estuary Patrol Inspection Division announced: the River Bandits who had long entrenched themselves at Blackfish Shoal and plagued the region had been wiped out.

Previously, countless people had witnessed the Patrol Inspection Division joining forces with Canglang Water Dock and the White Dragon Gang, departing from the pier with great fanfare, only to return with numerous rotting headless corpses, using them to declare victory.

When the news arrived, most of the fishermen who had been kept in the dark were overjoyed, while only a few insiders felt disdain, though they dared not show it in the slightest.

However, all of this had nothing to do with Jiang Hanzhou.

One night, he once again took advantage of the darkness to come to the black market on that small island.

Only this time, his identity was no longer that of a buyer, but a seller.

On his stall, scattered weapons, Secret Manuals, and jewelry were laid out—all of which he had scavenged from the water stronghold.

There were no banknotes or cash in the stronghold, only a large amount of cumbersome cargo; Jiang Hanzhou did not want to go through the trouble, so he only picked these items that were easy to sell and took them away.

He sat in front of the stall, dressed in black, wearing a plain white, featureless mask on his face, revealing only a pair of eyes as calm as water.

People gradually gathered around, their gazes sweeping over those weapons one by one.

A ghost head saber with a chipped edge, a short spear stained with dark blood, a few rough Cultivation Techniques with worn edges, and several jade ornaments of decent quality.

"These things... aren't exactly clean, are they?" Someone lowered their voice and said.

"Nonsense, how many things in the black market are clean? Look at the marks on that saber; I'm afraid it has drunk quite a bit of human blood..."

Amidst the whispers, many gazes fell on Jiang Hanzhou.

He remained silent and motionless, only occasionally lifting his eyes to sweep over the crowd.

That gaze was very faint, yet like an ice pick, piercing straight into people's hearts.

A few men who had originally been greedy and restless, upon meeting his eyes for a moment, felt an inexplicable chill in their hearts and subconsciously took half a step back.

"Such heavy Killing Intent..." Someone muttered, "Just how many people must one have killed to cultivate a gaze like that..."

Jiang Hanzhou remained silent.

He did not need to speak, nor did he need to reveal his Aura.

After his Late Bloomer fate advanced to the third rank, his control over his own Qi had reached a minute level.

At this moment, he only leaked a wisp of the Killing Intent that had accumulated during that rainy night and hadn't fully dissipated yet, which was enough to deter these hyenas who crawled and fought in the black market and were most sensitive to danger.

Sure enough, no one dared to come forward and test him easily again.

After a while, an old man wearing a bamboo hat and with a hunched figure approached, squatted down, and carefully examined the few Cultivation Techniques.

"《Blackwater Saber》, 《Wading Sand Steps》, 《Wave-Dividing Thorn》... these are all styles often practiced by that group of Over-River Dragon." The old man's voice was hoarse, he raised his eyelids to look at Jiang Hanzhou, "Little brother, how do you intend to sell these things?"

"As a set, twelve hundred taels."

Jiang Hanzhou spoke, his voice flat, yet carrying a cold firmness that allowed for no negotiation.

The old man pondered for a moment, unexpectedly did not haggle, took out a stack of banknotes from his bosom, counted them, and handed them over.

"Deal."

Low gasps sounded around them.

Twelve hundred taels was not an astronomical price in the black market, but it was certainly not a small sum.

This old man actually bought it without blinking, either because he had other uses for them, or he had recognized the true value of these items.

Jiang Hanzhou took the banknotes, didn't even look at them, and stuffed them into his bosom.

He pushed the items on the stall to the other party one by one, stood up, and walked away.

Without a hint of lingering attachment.

The gazes behind him were still burning—some greedy, some fearful, some speculative—but no one dared to stop him.

He walked through the bustling crowd, heading straight for that corner in his memory.

That Female Stall Owner, who always wore two short blades and exuded a sharp Evil Qi, was still sitting there, as if she had never left.

Jiang Hanzhou stopped in front of her stall.

The Female Stall Owner raised her eyes, her gaze under the mask lingering on him for a moment, and her hoarse voice sounded: "What do you want to buy this time?"

"Yellow Rank Martial Skills for movement techniques and weapons." Jiang Hanzhou said concisely, "The more, the better."

The Female Stall Owner did not seem surprised; she took seven or eight thin booklets from an old wooden box behind her and laid them on the stall.

"《Willow Catkin Follows the Wind Steps》, Yellow Rank Low Grade, for agility and lifting, skilled in small-range maneuvering."

"《Shadow Chasing Thorn》, Yellow Rank Medium Grade, a short-weapon thrusting technique, emphasizing speed and concealment."

"《Iron Garment Strength》, Yellow Rank Low Grade, used in conjunction with short weapons for blocking and discharging force."

"《Splitting Light and Sweeping Shadow》, Yellow Rank Medium Grade, using feints to confuse the enemy, with movement like a shadow."

Jiang Hanzhou flipped through them one by one, silently evaluating them in his heart.

He didn't need high-grade Martial Skills; as long as the style was suitable and could complete the details of his current movement techniques and weapon usage, that would suffice.

"I'll take them all. How much?"

"Five hundred taels."

Jiang Hanzhou counted out the banknotes, paid, collected the Secret Manuals, turned around, and left.

With eight hundred taels of banknotes left in his bosom, he did not intend to keep them.

He turned and went to several medicinal herb shops on the island, purchasing a batch of high-quality supplementary herbs, as well as a few rather rare yang-natured medicinal materials, preparing to go back and try to concoct a more potent "Gold Bone Nourishing Soup".

This was a new medicinal diet he had recently researched, which was extremely effective for tempering bones.

As the night deepened, Jiang Hanzhou carried the herbs and walked toward the boat mooring at the edge of the island.

When passing by a remote reef beach, sharp sounds of weapons clashing suddenly came from ahead, along with a muffled groan.

His footsteps paused, he hid into the shadows, and looked up.

Under the moonlight, two figures were chasing and fighting among the reefs.

One of them was dressed in black, with a vigorous figure, her dual blades dancing like flying snow; it was that Female Stall Owner.

At this moment, she was not wearing a mask, revealing a pale yet heroically spirited face, about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with a lingering sharpness and exhaustion between her brows.

The person fighting her was dressed in black robes, his face covered with a black veil, revealing only a pair of eyes as sinister as a hawk's.

He was using a pair of water-dividing Emei thorns, his Moves ruthless and tricky, each one aiming directly for vital points, forcing the Female Stall Owner to retreat step by step.

"Shen Hongxiu, stop struggling." The black-robed person's voice was low, carrying a kind of cat-and-mouse playfulness, "You've been investigating the White Dragon Gang for three full years; did you really think no one knew? Today is your death day."

Shen Hongxiu gritted her teeth, parried a direct thrust with her dual blades, but her foot slipped on the wet and slippery reef, and she staggered.

The black-robed person seized the opportunity to close in, the Emei thorns like a venomous snake flicking its tongue, stabbing straight at her heart!

"If I don't kill you and hand over this pledge of allegiance, how would those old foxes of the White Dragon Gang trust me again?" The black-robed person's voice grew colder, "If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for digging too deep and blocking others' paths!"

Shen Hongxiu struggled to block horizontally with her blades. With a loud "Clang", her web between thumb and index finger split, one blade flew out of her hand, and she was shaken back several steps, her back hitting a reef, and a trace of blood spilled from the corner of her mouth.

She looked up, no fear in her eyes, only deep mockery:

"Over-River Dragon... it really is you. The Three Rivers Estuary all said you died at Blackfish Shoal; so you had long since defected to the White Dragon Gang, performing a scheme to escape like a cicada shedding its shell."

The black-robed person's movements paused slightly, then the eyes under the veil narrowed, and his Killing Intent surged: "You know too much."

"Of course I know," Shen Hongxiu coughed up a mouthful of blood, smiling somewhat bleakly, "You robbed the Canglang Water Dock's cargo and killed those Fishermen just to show your loyalty to the White Dragon Gang, to wash off your old 'River Bandit' skin and be accepted by them again, right? Pity... the blood on your hands cannot be washed clean."

"Shut up!" Over-River Dragon roared, the Emei thorns raised again, "After today, no one will remember those ants! You are the same!"

He lunged forward, the cold light of the thorn tips condensed, aiming straight for Shen Hongxiu's throat!

Shen Hongxiu closed her eyes, gripped her only remaining blade, and prepared to fight to the death.

However—

A figure intervened earlier than she expected.

Like the night wind sweeping over the reefs, silent and soundless, yet faster than the eye could catch.

Jiang Hanzhou stepped out from the shadows, not even drawing his weapon, just pointing his fingers like a sword, pointing into the air.

A wisp of extremely condensed pale gold Qi broke through the air, arriving first despite starting later, precisely striking the side of Over-River Dragon's right-hand Emei thorn.

"Clang!"

With the clash of metal, Over-River Dragon felt a force as heavy as a wave transmit through the thorn, his entire arm shook violently, and the Emei thorn almost flew out of his hand.

He turned around in shock, looking at the black-clothed youth who had suddenly appeared.

Jiang Hanzhou did not speak, nor did he even glance at Shen Hongxiu again.

He just slowly drew the water-dividing thorn from his waist.

The pitch-black thorn body flowed with a cold, eerie luster under the moonlight.

Jiang Hanzhou took a step forward.

The Aura around his body was no longer concealed.

The blood and Qi power of the Iron Bone Realm was released with a roar, the pale Gold Bones faintly shining under his skin, the essence of Tidal Shadow Thousand Hands flowing around his body, as if countless Tide phantoms were surging behind him.

He was not here to save Shen Hongxiu.

He was here to kill.

To kill the person before him, who caused the death of Li Tietou, who caused the death of those sixteen Fishermen, who caused the death of countless people struggling to survive like ants—

Over-River Dragon.

It took no effort to find what one was looking for.

Tonight, you must die.

In the depths of Jiang Hanzhou's eyes, a cold tide suddenly rose.